Fwd: SFU - Data Curator Position

[Tracey P. Lauriault]

A kind of dream job for some of you!  There was a pdf attached to the
email, if you would like a copy of it, drop me a line and I will
forward it.

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DATA CURATOR
Simon Fraser University Library is seeking a highly flexible,
collaborative and innovative individual, committed to providing the
best possible service to faculty and students, to undertake a range of
project-based and operational activities that will advance the SFU
Library’s strategic objectives for expanded research data curation and
management services.

SETTING:
Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a comprehensive university with
approximately 22,000 undergraduate students, 5000 graduate students,
950 faculty and 1500 staff. Ranked by respected national surveys as
one of Canada’s top three comprehensive universities for the past 20
years, Simon Fraser University has also been named one of British
Columbia’s top 40 Employers for 2011, as well as one of Canada’s top
100 employers. SFU offers more than 100 undergraduate major and joint
major programs and more than 45 graduate offerings, spanning many
disciplines in eight faculties, and has an international reputation
for its innovative interdisciplinary and professional programs. The
University was established in 1965 in Burnaby and has since expanded
to Vancouver and Surrey.  SFU is integrally involved in the life of
all three of its campus communities, including participation in a
range of urban renewal and development initiatives. Further
information about SFU is available at www.sfu.ca.

The SFU Library has an international reputation as a technologically
innovative site which is best exemplified by its role as the home for
several major open source software projects – the Public Knowledge
Project (PKP) and reSearcher.  PKP develops and supports a range of
scholarly communications software applications including Open Journal
Systems (OJS) which, as of January 2012, has been installed at over
11,500 sites around the world. reSearcher is a suite of library
software modules including Godot, a link resolver, and CUFTS, an
electronic resource management system and knowledgebase.  The library
also has an active digitization program and has been the recipient of
several grants to undertake some large digitization projects.   The
library maintains most of the technical infrastructure required for
these initiatives and has assembled a very skilled team of systems and
technical specialists.

Within the SFU Library, planning and project-based initiatives often
cross divisional and campus boundaries.  The Library Planning
Committee (Dean, AULs, Division Heads) is responsible for advising the
Dean on budget, personnel and external matters. The Library Council
(Dean, AULs, Division/Unit Heads, seven library staff representatives)
advises on other matters. There are few standing committees, with
cross-divisional task groups typically planning and guiding specific
projects. Further information about the Library is available at:
www.lib.sfu.ca.


ASSIGNMENT:
Reporting to the Associate University Librarian for Library Technology
Services and Special Collections, this is a unique opportunity that
combines a major research data project funded by the University
Priority Fund (UPF) with the implementation of several key objectives
for research data services in the Library’s Strategic Plan for
2011-2016.  The Data Curator will play an important leadership role on
the UPF-funded project while also working closely with the Library’s
Research Data Librarian to plan and implement the Library’s vision for
expanded services and support for research data.  An important part of
the latter activity will require participation in succession and
related transition planning for  Research Data  Services.   This is a
continuing position at the SFU Library.

The Data Curator will play a leading role in providing guidance and
support in long-term management of research data, including issues of
data preservation and access, intellectual property rights, and
security of sensitive data. The position will be based in Research
Data Services with close working relationships with Library Systems ,
Research Commons, the Library’s Liaison Librarians, and the Library’s
Institutional Repository staff. The position will collaborate with
staff from both inside and outside the library devoted to supporting
research data management throughout the different phases of the data
life cycle. The Data Curator will interact with faculty, students, and
various academic and administration units throughout the university
and will be responsible for the development and administration of
policies, workflows, and infrastructure/repositories regarding the
management of datasets and related resources. This is a new position
in the SFU Library that will incorporate existing and emerging
elements of research data support and services.  It is an opportunity
for the right candidate to help create and establish new services for
long-term curation and management of research data at SFU.

RESPONSIBILITIES
UPF Research Data Project
¨     Conduct an environmental scan of SFU research data activities
and identify data curation and management requirements
¨     Undertake several  “proof of concept” or pilots for the
preservation and management of SFU research data in a number of
representative data domains
¨     Work with relevant library units and relevant university units
(e.g. IT  Services, Westgrid, the Office of VP Research, other
research centers) to develop university-wide policies, procedures, and
support for research data production, management , curation; and
discovery for primary and secondary analysis

Research Data Curation and Management
¨     Provide consultation services for faculty/students/staff with
devising and implementing project-specific strategies for long-term
data curation and management
¨     Work closely with colleagues in the Library and across campus
and provide leadership in ensuring SFU compliance with data curation
mandates as well as promoting open access to SFU produced research
data
¨     Provide leadership role to promote data curation and management
services amongst faculty and students and staff, and to solicit
feedback from researchers about data management needs
¨     Assist faculty/students/staff with writing data management plans
to include in grant applications and with preparing annual reports, so
as to meet requirements of funding agencies such as NSERC, CIHR,
SSHRC, NEH, and NIH
¨     Identify appropriate venues for data storage and access and act
as intermediary between researchers and appropriate internal and/or
external repositories and archives
¨     Assist with development of mechanisms for searching and
accessing data collections
¨     Work with relevant library units to develop procedures and best
practices for helping researchers with database creation and metadata
creation
¨     Assess requirements and plan for future facilities, collections,
services and staff
¨     Mentor staff and coordinate training and development;
collaborate with liaison librarians in regular communication and
review of services to departments and faculties
¨     Collaborate with other Library departments on library-wide
developments of new initiatives and reviews of existing services


QUALIFICATIONS:
Required

¨     Graduate degree in library/information science/archival studies
from an ALA accredited program or equivalent
¨     Minimum 3 years library professional experience including
provision of research data services
¨     Experience with project management methodologies and subsequent
operationalization in a library or research project/team
¨     Demonstrated knowledge of intellectual property issues, related
academic/research policies and procedures related to data curation and
management such as preservation, retrieval, and managing access to
sensitive data
¨     Demonstrated knowledge of research infrastructure, tools (e.g.
DSpace, Fedora, or other repository software), standards and
facilities for preservation, data formats and migration, discovery and
access.
¨     Demonstrated awareness of both national and international trends
and developments with research data curation and management
¨     Knowledge of relevant metadata standards (e.g. DC, DDI, FGDC, ISO, SMDX)
¨     Demonstrated success at collaborating
¨     Demonstrated success in achieving innovative change
¨     Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
¨     Superior interpersonal and intercultural skills
¨     Familiarity with current trends in post-secondary education and
academic library services
¨     Able to meet the requirements of a confirmed appointment
librarian position

Preferred:

¨     Second advanced degree with a research component
¨     Familiarity with research data analysis tools (statistics, data mining)
¨     Familiarity with major data resources from government and other agencies
¨     Familiarity with domain specific metadata standards

This appointment is a continuing position and will be made at the
Librarian II or III rank, commensurate with experience, and in
accordance with SFU Policy AD 12.03. The applicable SFU Librarian
Salary Scale can be viewed at:
http://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/policies/files/academic_policies/20_series/JUL_2009_LibrarianLibAdmin.pdf

A summary of benefits for Librarians is available at:
http://www.sfu.ca/human-resources/benefits-faculty.html and
http://www.sfu.ca/policies/academic/a21-01.htm
Simon Fraser University is committed to the principle of equity in
employment and offers equal employment opportunities to qualified
applicants.  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply;
however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Under the authority of the University Act, personal information that
is required by the University for academic appointment competitions
will be collected.  For further details, see:
http://www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/Faculty_Openings/Collection_Notice.html

TO APPLY:
To be given assured consideration, application should be submitted,
with resume and three references by 9:00am PST on Thursday, February
23, 2012 to:


Catherine Louie
         Phone: [phone]
Library Management Office
Fax: [phone]
W.A.C. Bennett Library
      Email: [hidden email]
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6









--
Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805

"Every epoch dreams the one that follows it's the dream form of the
future, not its reality" it is the "wish image of the collective".

Walter Benjamin, between 1927-1940,
(http://www.columbia.edu/itc/architecture/ockman/pdfs/dossier_4/buck-morss.pdf)